Reach, Like A Vine Does To The Sun
by HannahSakura.Pinoy
Summary: ON HOLD. If ever the world is pulling you down, here's my hand. Reach for it. The world may also be pulling me down. But with your hand in mine, we have a better chance to get up. SakuX?
1. Chapter 1

Okay. I completely revised this 'coz the original was ugly. No one reviewed it and only 37 people read it. So this is another attempt to an at least nice story.

Before I start the story, I'll do what I always do. Today is December 1, 2006, Friday. No classes here in the Philippines because yesterday was a holiday, but President GMA decided to move it today.

And about the title, I don't know why I named that for this story.

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Cold night air blew in to the open window in the lightless room of an apartment somewhere in the Hidden Village of Konoha. The figure on the bed shivered as she hugged the covers tighter to her body. By the look on her face, she was obviously sleeping peacefully, until a second later.

Her ears perked up at a slight sound and she awoke. Someone was in the room. Trained in the shinobi art as she was, she feigned sleep, her arm secretly reaching for a weapon under her pillow.

When she felt the presence near enough, she turned to with her kunai aiming at the person's neck. But before she knew it, her arm was caught and she was being straddled to the waist by her attacker.

A malicious chuckle stopped her from struggling and she looked up horrified to see golden eyes. The golden eyes she hated right from the very minute she saw them when she was twelve.

Immediately, the horrifying memories she had of the man hauntingly came back to her. She was afraid. She was terrified of him, and he knew it.

Then the man kissed her neck, was touching her in places that he shouldn't. _No._ She wanted to push him off, but found that she couldn't move. She wanted to scream, but found that she could not manage a whisper.

_No! _He licked her cheek.

_No_! He licked down to her neck.

Then wrapped his long tongue around her now exposed breasts.

She could not take anymore!

She shut her eyes, and screamed.

Her eyes snapped open, and no one was there. She sat up and looked around the room, she was alone. It had been a dream. A nightmare.

A relieved sigh escaped her lips. She looked around the moonlit room again, her mind registering that she was at the hospital.

She was at confusion for a moment, but soon knew why she was here. The door opened and revealed only a shadow until the person turned on the lights. It was Shizune. "Sakura, you're awake! I…"

Sakura tuned out whatever else the older female had to say. Memories off her nightmare were set aside as the memories of the previous events of her mission took over.

"_You ready, Sakura?" Tenten said, excitement in her tone. "Are you?" She replied. "Of course." The two share a smirk before putting on their red and white mask._

"_Kindly hand over the scroll kunoichi and we might spare your lives." Uchiha Itachi's Sharingan eyes were spinning, trapping them with his intense gaze. Hoshigaki Kisame grinned maliciously beside him, eyes showing his eagerness for bloodshed._

_Tenten screamed. Sakura stared as the lifeless body fell to the ground. Kisame wore a look of pure pleasure and enjoyment at the sight of death and bloodshed._

Tears rained from Sakura's eyes, her hands clutching the bed's sheet in a death grip. Shizune had stepped out of the room sometime during her reminiscing.

Outside the room, a man leaned against the wall beside the door. His right hand held a book in front of his face, while the other was idly resting inside his pocket. His visible eye was directed to the book, and he looked to be uncaringly reading. But in actuality he had been staring at the same page for the past 5 hours or so.

He knew she was crying for her sobs could be heard from outside the room. Shizune looked at him when she came in. And she looked at him again when she came out. She looked at him during her first two visits before that too.

A look of what, he didn't know. Probably a look of curiosity, or of confusion, or a look of worry perhaps. He didn't care. He didn't have to, after all.

The sobbing stopped. He didn't have to check to find out if she was sleeping. He knew she was, probably from exhaustion.

Shizune came back with Tsunade. A moment later, they left. An hour later, Kakashi was still there, in the exact same position as he had been. Another hour later, he was still there. It was the hour after that when he decided to leave.

It was already dawn, but he had yet to sleep. And he didn't plan on getting any even though he was drained of energy from his mission. It was almost time to visit Obito anyway.

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Weeeeellll???? What do you guys think? If you read the original version, tell me which is better. But that doesn't mean I'm going to change it back.

Anywayz, Review please! And thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

As she walks through the streets, passing by people she doesn't know, but who know her. She is lost in her own world, ignoring them who are talking through whispers. Her feet automatically leading her to who-knows-where.

She stops her mindless travel when she realizes she is in front of a stone, a stone with countless names etched on its flat surface.

At the very bottom, the newest addition, is with the name of a comrade, a partner, a friend, a very precious person.

Sakura was never the same since the incident. Tenten's death had affected her greatly. After all, they had been partners ever since their very first mission as ANBU. Of course they had been on missions together before, but being partners was something neither of them had imagined.

After that first mission, they were rarely sent on missions where they weren't together, and even rarer where they would be sent with a team. It was usually always the two of them, because that's just how it goes. And because of that, it led to Tenten's death.

Her jade eyes harden as she reflects back to how she killed Kisame. Anger overwhelmed her, and her fear vanished that moment.

His face that was filled with lust for blood and desire for death transformed into a look of pure horror, surprise, and even fear as she slashed his head which is now probably rotting somewhere in the ANBU headquarters.

If Itachi had not left earlier, she would have died. But why was she kept alive? Was it because she deserves to live with this pain? Why!? She should be dead!

Tenten's funeral was held last week. She hadn't gone, she couldn't bring herself to.

"Sakura-chan" The voice, she knows, is no other than Naruto's. Gone was the innocent, high-pitched voice of the child he once was, and was replaced by the deep, strong voice of a man.

She doesn't turn around, and he didn't force her to.

"I heard what happened." He had just returned from a mission.

She doesn't reply. He didn't ask a question. And he didn't expect, neither did he need an answer.

"It's not your fault." The sun isn't shining, the sky isn't blue, the rain is falling. Naruto walks away.

Back then when they were twelve, back when they were younger and still children, when they were still innocent, he wouldn't have walked away. At least not before shoving more sense into her, and saying more than 'It's not your fault.' He would've held a hand to her shoulder or would've hugged her 'til she felt better.

But they aren't children anymore. They are nineteen. Young, but not children. Team 7 had changed when Sasuke left, and never did they resume to normal even after Sasuke came back.

There remains a bond between the team and it can never ever be lost. But what they hold is a bond shattered so immense that it is close to the point of irreparability.

Naruto knows, Sakura knows, that if he had embraced her she would not have welcomed it. Because if he had, he only did it because he had to.

They hadn't grown into who the people expected them to be, hadn't become the Team 7 that always spent time together like they used to.

Sakura remains standing in the rain, staring blindly at the name carved on stone. No tears escape from her eyes, only the sky is crying.

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Naruto walks along the almost empty street, people running about him trying to find cover from the rain. He passes by a certain building where Genma, with Kakashi, Gai, and Asuma came walking out.

"Isn't that your student Kakashi?" Genma intones as he lazily watches Naruto in the distance. "It is." Kakashi saunters away in the opposite direction, leaving the three jounin to stare at him.

"Che! Stop acting like you don't care." Genma mumbles, starting to walk away from the building. "Don't blame him for acting that way Genma." Gai interrupts the silence, unusually speaking in a serious manner, partly since his student recently died, but more so because of the subject at hand.

They know that it has been rough for Kakashi as well. They know he blames himself on why his students came to be the way they are.

It was because of Kakashi's favoritism. He trained Sasuke, mostly ignoring Naruto and Sakura. When the time came that Sasuke went away, he was in turn abandoned by his two remaining students.

Kakashi knows that he can never match whatever the Sannin taught and is able to teach his students. The Sannin are much more powerful, and each treasures much more knowledge and better jutsu than he.

But what only he and nobody else knows is that he is jealous. Because they are… _were_ his students. Although Sasuke is no longer with Orochimaru, and Naruto and Sakura rarely train with Jiraiya and Tsunade, he is no longer of benefit to him.

They are powerful, possibly more than he is. There is a sense of pride though, that they were his students once. But people will no longer see him as their sensei, because they are now known as the Sannin's apprentices.

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Hours had passed, Sakura turns away from the memorial to see Hyuuga Neji. An umbrella in hand, flowers in the other, he stares with an unpleasant glare at the kunoichi. She couldn't look back and instead stares at the ground.

Neji doesn't know if he is angry at the kunoichi, or simply just because. But he knows it's not her fault. He walks on and places the flowers down, sensing Sakura's presence slowly fade as she walks away.

She had only gone a short distance away when the rain stops hitting her. She feels Neji's presence by her side, arm raised with the umbrella shielding them from the rain.

She doesn't glance up and acknowledge him, Neji doesn't mind the silence. They walk all the way to the heart of the village and stops in front of Sakura's apartment.

He waits for her to open the door, turns his back on her, and walks away. She mutters a thank you just loud enough for him to hear. Sakura closes the door, Neji walks on.

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The light is off, the room dark, only illuminating briefly when lightning struck. Naruto sits on his couch, shirt off, legs spread wide, towel hanging on his neck, head resting on top of the backrest with one arm hanging from it and the other limp by his side. He stares at the ceiling, sapphire eyes dull.

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Kakashi stands in the rain in front of the memorial. Neji finds him, knowing he had been there before he had earlier. He had been hiding from Sakura. They both stare at the stone carved with countless names. "Isn't your arm tired?" Kakashi murmurs, never turning to look at him. "I suppose." Neji answers, slowly dropping the umbrella along with his arm. The object creates a light splash as it hits the muddy ground.

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Sakura leans back on the door of her apartment, her eyes staring at the empty space in front of her. She remembers that it was a day just like today when she dragged Tenten's lifeless body back to Konoha. And she would keep remembering, simply because it can never be forgotten.

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No Sasuke here. Maybe next chapter. I'll try to make it more interesting next time.


	3. Chapter 3

My Sakura fics are on hold, including this, but I decided to update this one. Sometimes I do the opposite of what I actually planned to.

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Almost a week had passed since the visit to Tenten's grave and Sakura presence never once left her apartment. Naruto would stop by a few times everyday, but that she doesn't know. He would stare at her bedroom window like he knew she was there-- never mind if she wasn't-- and he would walk away after.

Today, he is here again, outside her apartment, standing at the exact same spot, staring up at the exact same window. It is raining once more, resembling the gloomy day five days ago., the day he returned and found Sakura at the stone memorial.

Why is he here? He asks himself the same question every time he comes here. The answer never befalls, but he would always come here, and he would ask himself that question again.

Naruto takes no notice of the person walking toward him as he turns to leave, but then the eminent color of the person's hair catches the corner of his vision. Obsidian black, that could only belong to _him_.

Matching obsidian eyes met his sapphire ones and a hint of surprise reaches them. It has been a long time since they last saw each other, and even longer since they had spoken.

Now that they have this chance, they should speak. However, no words comes out, they did not even open their mouth the slightest.

What is there to say? I miss you? Maybe. I hate you? That's it, partially. But why say something that they both already know?

The surprise in their countenance had long diminished, their eyes cold, hard, full of hatred and… something else.

They both notice a figure on the window, and their eyes turn to it.

Her long pink hair wet, her body only clothed with a plain, white towel. She gives the look of surprise, and she gazes from brilliant blue to intense black. It is then they found out what that something else is.

Ache, pain, suffering, and everything in-between. All reveal through their eyes, but only for a moment, and then vanishes back to the depths of void.

Sakura's look of bitterness, Naruto's look of acrimony, Sasuke's look of resentment, expressions that tell parts of their shattered tale.

She let pink bangs shadow her eyes while her hands grab the thick curtains. They turn away as the curtains pull to a close. They give each other one last glance with their eyes behind wet bangs ones more, an intense battle of volcanic emotions hidden behind expressionless facades.

Sasuke is the first to walk away, passing his ex-teammate by. As Naruto decides to continue in the opposite direction, he asks himself once more. _Why am I here?_

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Why did he have to go there? He could have chosen another path, but yet he chose to take the one that would pass by her house.

He also had heard of the news surrounding his ex-teammate and her partner. He had been in Konoha the night Sakura returned dragging Tenten's body, so he had heard of the news the very next day. And it irked him to no end when he found out Itachi and his shark-like partner were the assailant.

He had gone to where the attack took place, but there were no signs of where Itachi headed out to. Again, his brother managed to elude him.

Sasuke stops in his tracks, his thoughts traveling to the pink haired kunoichi that had managed to survive and even killed the missing-nin Hoshigaki Kisame. It wasn't that surprising. He knows she is strong.

But there was an incident that surprised Sasuke while he was training five days ago. A couple under an umbrella was walking past afar from him. Due to the rain, he could not make out who they were until he saw the pink hair of the female, and he immediately knew who it was. The other, a man, he couldn't make out until he got a glimpse of the long brown hair in high ponytail.

They did not see him as large trees partially covered him from view and the rain made it more difficult especially at his distance. He glared a bit as they disappeared from his view and sighed.

What ever reason Sakura was with the Hyuuga that day, he does not care. Team 7 had long been gone. She is no longer of concern to him. Or so he tells himself.

He looks up at the sky and closes his eyes. Sasuke takes note of the fact that it had been raining these past few days. Is the sky crying, he wonders. But what for? Why cry? Certainly not for the death of one kunoichi, right? After all, what is losing one more? And why does he keep asking himself questions, anyway?

It is a long walk away to the Uchiha compound. He should have just picked a shorter route. If he had, he wouldn't have seen them.

But in truth, he half expected and half hoped that he'd see her. He never bothered to expect Naruto since he lives in the direction opposite of him, but there he was drenched in the rain.

It is the bond, Sasuke guesses. The bond the three of them have can never be lost or replaced. It can never be thrown away, no matter how broken.

But since it is broken, they could only do so much. Kind of like glass, once broken, it would remain that way. When you piece it together, it still stays apart. When you glue it back together, and it won't fall apart anymore, but you would still see the countless cracks remaining and little pieces that could not be glued back, missing.

Once something is broken, it can never be completely assembled back.

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She lies flat on her bed with a person on top of her. Long black hair tickles her face as he scans her naked body. He looks at her and her jade colored eyes meet his golden ones.

He could sense her fear. He laughs a malicious laugh, and it echoes throughout the quiet walls of her room. His eyes took on a sick look of amusement.

She could not move, some invisible chains binding her body. "Cherry Blossom." He whispers in her ear seductively, his hands roaming the soft skin all over her body. He chuckles when she shivered, a wicked tone in his sickening voice. "We shall see each other, soon." He gives her a kiss and vanishes.

Sakura awakens, sitting up frantically, throwing away the blankets in the process. She looks around the room to find no one else's form or chakra but hers.

Was it just a dream? She is still wearing her clothes, and everything else is the same. But it felt so real. Why is she having these dreams?

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In truth, this chapter had been written some time last year, but somehow I forgot about it and I don't know why. It has been a long time so I forgot what my plot for this fic is. I'll remember it soon enough, or if not, I'll just write what comes into my forgetful mind.

Anyway, today is Thursday, May 10, 2007.

And if you are interested in reading a female Kakashi fic and a female Sasuke fic, I have both. But the female Kakashi only has one chapter at the moment. I'm still thinking about the next chapter.

So, tell me what you think!


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